Each year we listen to two Englishmen commentate on Australian tv about how great one of them was when they rode the Tour and how the peleton can make up 1 minute every 10 kilometers on a breakaway and how 1000 yards equals one kilometer and who cows sit down when its about to rain and which brand of tractors are being used in the side of the road decorations.

Why do we need outside commentators, who fill each nights commentary with inaccuracies, imperial measurements (who cares if the bunch are travelling at 31 miles an hour and have 16 miles to go to the finish), and fluff when we have a world class, home grown commentator who is a walking talking cycling encyclopaedia.

There is no need to import talent onto Australian TV when when have more than capable people here ready and willing to perform the role themselves

I just signed the following petition addressed to: Ken Shipp, Head of Sport - SBS.

----------------Let Matthew Keenan commentate full time on the Tour De France

Each year we listen to two Englishmen commentate on Australian tv about how great one of them was when they rode the Tour and how the peleton can make up 1 minute every 10 kilometers on a breakaway and how 1000 yards equals one kilometer and who cows sit down when its about to rain and which brand of tractors are being used in the side of the road decorations.

Why do we need outside commentators, who fill each nights commentary with inaccuracies, imperial measurements (who cares if the bunch are travelling at 31 miles an hour and have 16 miles to go to the finish), and fluff when we have a world class, home grown commentator who is a walking talking cycling encyclopaedia.

There is no need to import talent onto Australian TV when when have more than capable people here ready and willing to perform the role themselves

Pravda wrote:Well I for one love Paul and Phil. Gabriel Gatte (sp?) however is another matter entirely.

I love Paul, Phil (the voice of cycling) and Gabriel. Cycling wouldnt be the same without them...plus you wouldn't get to play Bingo!

Keenan is ok but he needs a partner. otherwise it's just hours of monologue

Phil & Paul are great... I love listening to them. They are the voices of cycling, in my opinion. Gabriel Gate gives me the you know whats... Matt Keenan is dull, dull, dull, he definitely needs someone there with him. A bit of banter or something like that would liven it up. I can't wait for Phil & Paul to start & Matt to finish.

The 2nd Womble wrote:You need to petition this? Get a hobby. Better yet, sign the petition to give SBS AND Phil/Paul back the TDU.

+1

Sorry, Phil is still by far the best cycling commentator I've heard in English. He interprets whats happening on the screen so everybody can understand and enjoy it. The Giro and Tour of Britain were just painful trying to work out what was going on at times.Must admit he gets flustered a bit more easily these days tho'

Formula 1 without Murray Walker is just Formula 1. We accepted his quotes as part of Formula 1 history.

"He's obviously gone in for a wheel change. I say obviously because I can't see it"

"With half the race gone, there is half the race still to go"

"Do my eyes deceive me, or is Senna's Lotus sounding rough ?"

"Anything happens in Grand Prix racing and it usually does"

"Alboreto has dropped back up to fifth place"

"As you look at the first four, the significant thing is that Alboreto is 5th"

"I can't imagine what kind of problem Senna has. I imagine it must be some sort of grip problem"

"He is shedding buckets of adrenalin in that car"

"It's raining and the track is wet"

"And there's just a few more corners for Nigel Mansell to go to win the Canadian Grand Prix...and...he's going rather slow....HE'S STOPPING HE'S STOPPING!"

"and this is the third placed car about to lap the second placed car"

"they say clothes maketh the man... the clothes are Niki Lauda's, but the contents are me..." as Murray prepares to take a drive in a F1 car." [He gets a total distance of... oh, 1 foot before he stalls it.] (Apparently, this was the second attempt to film Murray in an F1 McLaren - the first, earlier that day, had gone very well, but for technical reasons couldn't be used!)

[During a F1 race, describing how the leader can see the driver following him] "... Mansell can see him in his earphone..."

"So Bernie [Ecclestone], in the seventeen years since you bought McLaren, which of your many achievements do you think was the most memorable ?" Bernie Answers, "Well I don't remember buying McLaren." [Bernie Ecclestone used to own the Brabham team].

Murrary: "What's that? There's a BODY on the track!!!" James: "Um, I think that that is a piece of BODY-WORK, from someone's car."

Murray: There's a fiery glow coming from the back of the Ferrari James: No Murray, that's his rear safety light

As an introductory piece for a rallysprint race, Murray was put in the Navigator's seat alongside Tony Pond in a Chevette HSR (270 BHP, rwd, and TWITCHY), added an in-car camera, and wired Murray for sound. The result can be deduced by extrapolating his usual excitement and enthusiasm, and adding a large pinch of raw terror! "And there's a 600 foot drop on my left..AND we're doing 120 mph... AND we're approaching a hairpin...OH MY GOD we're going to die..."

[after a post race interview with Mansell after the Austrian GP 1987] Murray : "How did you get that nasty bumb on your head Nigel?" [Nigel leans forward to show the camera as Murray pokes it with his finger !] Nigel: "OWCH!!"

Murray: And look at the flames coming from the back of Berger's McLarenJames: Actually, Murray, they're not flames, it's the safety light.Murray, commentating on rallycross from Lydden, describes how a BMW driver has cut holes in his windscreen so that his visibility is improved in all the muck... as he is doing so, the car crashes heavily into an earth bank...

From the Spanish GP 1995: "and Eddie Jordan is in fifth place"... (actually Eddie Irvine in one of his compatriot Eddie Jordan's cars).

"...and he's lost both right front tyres" (which may have been accurate back in the days of the Tyrrell P34, but it was from 1995!)

"This is an interesting circuit because it has inclines, and not just up, but down as well."

"Only a few more laps to go and then the action will begin, unless this is the action, which it is."

"This has been a great season for Nelson Piquet, as he is now known, and always has been"

"And the first five places are filled by five different cars."

"...the lead is now 6.9 seconds. In fact it's just under 7 seconds"

"Tambay's hopes , which were nil before, are absolutely zero now."

"You can't see a digital clock because there isn't one."

'and I interrupt myself to bring you this....'

and the catchphrase 'Unless I'm very much mistaken....I AM very much mistaken!'

I totally agree with the OP. Phil and Paul are hopeless. Phil hasn't called the correct winner of a sprint in about a decade. See the intermediate sprint in Stage 1 where Phil gave the win to Greipel. Paul just repeats the rubbish about Lance Armstrong inventing high cadence.

Phil & Paul (& Tomalaris...?) are the sound of Le Tour to me ... who cares what they actually say , I have eyes and I can work it out for myself. Same with Carlton Kirby and Sean Kelly on Eurosport for the Giro, although I'd say CK is possibly the current Murray Walker of commentators - he does motor racing as well, in fact, most recently the Le Mans 24hr

OP needs to loosen up a little ... a few drinks, some smelly cheese etc

cyclotaur wrote:Same with Carlton Kirby and Sean Kelly on Eurosport for the Giro, although I'd say CK is possibly the current Murray Walker of commentators - he does motor racing as well, in fact, most recently the Le Mans 24hr.

As often as not it's David Bradury and Brian Smith on Eurosport, and somes even Magnus Backstedt. All are entertaining commentators but Carlton can get a bit hysterical at times.

cyclotaur wrote:Same with Carlton Kirby and Sean Kelly on Eurosport for the Giro, although I'd say CK is possibly the current Murray Walker of commentators - he does motor racing as well, in fact, most recently the Le Mans 24hr.

As often as not it's David Bradury and Brian Smith on Eurosport, and somes even Magnus Backstedt. All are entertaining commentators but Carlton can get a bit hysterical at times.

cyclotaur wrote:Same with Carlton Kirby and Sean Kelly on Eurosport for the Giro, although I'd say CK is possibly the current Murray Walker of commentators - he does motor racing as well, in fact, most recently the Le Mans 24hr.

As often as not it's David Bradury and Brian Smith on Eurosport, and somes even Magnus Backstedt. All are entertaining commentators but Carlton can get a bit hysterical at times.

Phil and Paul are, the voices of cycling and who better for the tourism industry of France.Carlton Kirby is a better polished commentator although F1 made him sound like he had no clue.Mathew Keenan is a terrific guy with a wealth of knowledge in cycling, but doesn't have the colourful vocabulary to make it interesting.I could not do what they do so I won't complain.I just wish I could ride like Cancellara, even half his ability.

cyclotaur wrote:Actually the OP is way off the mark anyway. SBS don't choose the commentators, they (commentators) are contracted to the TdF organisation to provide the English language feed for UK/USA/Australia etc.

Matt Keenan was lucky enough to score the gig some years ago to do the first half of the stages then pass over to P&P for the last half.

Petition to SBS is a a waste of time.

Yep, all three of them are employed by ASO and their commentary is the official english speaking coverage.

Keenan originally got a gig with ASO to do the tour of Qatar on the recomendation of Phil and Paul when they couldn't make it. There is a story on Matt Keenan in this year's Ride Tour Guide.

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